Cheer Pressure
"Cheer Pressure" is the twelfth episode of the first season of ''The Replacements''. Synopsis Riley replaces the strict cheerleading coach with a hippie after failing to make the team. Soon, the majority of the school joins the squad. Meanwhile, Sierra quits and joins a sci-fi fan club. Plot Riley, Abbey, and Tasumi are trying out for the cheerleading squad. Riley’s friends try to warn her about the strict coach, but Riley is still optimistic. The coach rejects them all in less than 30 seconds. Then, Sierra McCool and her friends perform their signature routine: the triple-axel pyramid of pep. The coach is very impressed. Then, Sierra flirts with Johnny Hitswell, triggering Riley’s anger. Riley grumbles to her friends about the coach’s favoritism towards Sierra and her posse. She calls Fleemco to replace the coach with someone that would give everyone a fair chance. The Fleemco crew gives the coach a jet-skiing vacation; meanwhile, the workers kidnap a hippie meditating in the wilderness. Later, Riley and her friends return to the gymnasium. They find a bunch of kids chilling out with the hippie. The hippie introduces herself as Skye Blossoms, the new cheerleading coach, and asks Riley, Abbey, and Tasumi to share their “spirit energy” (i.e., their routine). Sierra is unimpressed, but the girls still get picked for the squad. Then, Shelton walks in carrying a beehive, asking for the Beekeeping Club. Shelton slips and falls, then he catches the hive. Ms. Blossoms, seeing his “wonderous clumsy energy,” picks him for the squad too. The next day, the girls strut confidently into the school. They discover that everyone is a cheerleader now, even Shelton and Buzz. Sierra can’t handle all these extra people on the squad. She tries to tell Ms. Blossoms that her squad is ruined; her pleas fall on deaf ears, so she and her friends quit. Sierra gives a rousing speech about how they can do whatever they want to do. Her friends decide to go shopping. Suddenly, she hears the theme to the sci-fi show Star Journeys. She spots someone wearing a goofy space uniform walking into the sci-fi fan club. After looking around to see if anyone is watching, Sierra steps inside. Ms. Blossoms holds a pep rally for the big basketball game tomorrow night. The gym is overflowing with cheerleaders. Meanwhile, at the sci-fi fan club, Sierra cosplays as a Star Journeys character. Todd is in disbelief that a girl like Sierra is a fan of such a geeky show. Sierra had to hide it from her fellow cheerleaders because they’d think she’s a nerd. As Todd and Sierra discuss the show, she realizes she’s falling for Todd. She asks Todd why she never noticed him before. Todd points out it’s because she’s always mean to him, creating a very awkward situation. At home, Riley asks her mother for advice, since there’s too many cheerleaders on the squad. Agent K reminds her daughter that no one can be good at everything. Riley understands she’s bad at cheerleading, but she doesn’t know how to break it to everyone else. During the big game, the players can’t focus with all the cheerleaders on the court. Riley demands Shelton to put pants on. He refuses because he thinks it’s a kilt, then he starts playing ear-piercing bagpipe music. Ms. Blossoms does nothing to stop any of this. When Riley confronts the cheerleading coach, the coach starts babbling hippie mantras. Riley kicks out Ms. Blossoms and takes charge of the squad. She forces the cheerleaders to perform the triple-axel pyramid of pep. The cheerleaders aren’t skilled enough to perform this complex routine; nonetheless, Riley makes them try anyway. The human pyramid quickly collapses. Riley lands on Johnny, causing him to miss a shot that would’ve put them ahead. Riley encounters Sierra in the bleachers, where she is spending time with Todd. Riley admits that Sierra is better at cheerleading than she is. Sierra doesn’t want to leave the Star Journeys fandom, but then she remembers the words of the character Captain Starpower: “The needs of the several outweigh the needs of the one.” Sierra jumps back onto the court and assembles her old squad, then they perform their triple-axel human pyramid routine. With the crowd pumped up and the extra cheerleaders out of the way, Johnny fires the game-winning shot. As the Darings are about to head back home, Riley admits to feeling guilty about replacing the old coach. Dick still can’t believe how awful the new cheerleaders were. Agent K reminds Riley that no one is perfect. C.A.R. starts bragging that he’s perfect, but then he stalls. Notes *Shelton paraphrases William Wallace's speech from the film Braveheart. Category:Episodes Category:Season One